We develop a rigorous mathematical framework proving that the QKD Krylov Detector, a three-layer eavesdropper detection system for Quantum Key Distribution based on Krylov complexity and sidereal filtering, provides information-theoretically grounded security against physically realizable attacks. The central results are: (1) Krylov Locality Theorem: An eavesdropper coupling at distance d from the monitored operator cannot affect the first d Lanczos coefficients. This is an exact algebraic identity, not an approximation. (2) Perturbation Detectability Theorem: The first affected Lanczos coefficient scales as gamma^2, with computable upper and lower bound constants derived from second-order perturbation theory applied to the Lanczos recursion. (3) Information-Distortion Bound: Eve's accessible information (Holevo quantity) scales as O(gamma^2), while the Krylov distortion scales as O(gamma^4), yielding an explicit tradeoff chi <= const * sqrt(Delta_K). Verified numerically using an explicit Eve ancilla model. (4) Krylov Unforgeability Theorem: Any Hamiltonian perturbation that extracts nonzero information from the quantum channel necessarily distorts the Lanczos coefficients beyond the detection threshold. No physically realizable attack can simultaneously extract information and preserve the clean Krylov signature. (5) Coherent Attack Invariance: The Lanczos coefficients are operator-space quantities independent of any quantum state, rendering coherent and entangled attack strategies unable to circumvent detection. (6) Time-Dependent Unforgeability: Time-dependent coupling strategies gamma(t) produce strictly more distortion than constant coupling at the same average strength, by Jensen's inequality applied via a rigorous stroboscopic argument. All results include full proofs and numerical verification for chain lengths N = 6, 8, 10, 12. This work provides the formal security foundation for the QKD Krylov Detector framework developed across six prior publications. Companion code: https://github.com/quantumspiritresearch-crypto/qkd-krylov-detector
We develop a rigorous mathematical framework proving that the QKD Krylov Detector, a three-layer eavesdropper detection system for Quantum Key Distribution based on Krylov complexity and sidereal filtering, provides information-theoretically grounded security against physically realizable attacks. The central results are: (1) Krylov Locality Theorem: An eavesdropper coupling at distance d from the monitored operator cannot affect the first d Lanczos coefficients. This is an exact algebraic identity, not an approximation. (2) Perturbation Detectability Theorem: The first affected Lanczos coefficient scales as gamma^2, with computable upper and lower bound constants derived from second-order perturbation theory applied to the Lanczos recursion. (3) Information-Distortion Bound: Eve's accessible information (Holevo quantity) scales as O(gamma^2), while the Krylov distortion scales as O(gamma^4), yielding an explicit tradeoff chi <= const * sqrt(Delta_K). Verified numerically using an explicit Eve ancilla model. (4) Krylov Unforgeability Theorem: Any Hamiltonian perturbation that extracts nonzero information from the quantum channel necessarily distorts the Lanczos coefficients beyond the detection threshold. No physically realizable attack can simultaneously extract information and preserve the clean Krylov signature. (5) Coherent Attack Invariance: The Lanczos coefficients are operator-space quantities independent of any quantum state, rendering coherent and entangled attack strategies unable to circumvent detection. (6) Time-Dependent Unforgeability: Time-dependent coupling strategies gamma(t) produce strictly more distortion than constant coupling at the same average strength, by Jensen's inequality applied via a rigorous stroboscopic argument. All results include full proofs and numerical verification for chain lengths N = 6, 8, 10, 12. This work provides the formal security foundation for the QKD Krylov Detector framework developed across six prior publications. Companion code: https://github.com/quantumspiritresearch-crypto/qkd-krylov-detector
This collection presents three interconnected papers on eavesdropper (Eve) detection in Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) channels, following the chronological development of the framework. Part I Eve Detection in QKD via Dual-Layer Sidereal Filtering and Krylov Complexity Analysis (v4): The empirical starting point. Eve is modeled as a Hamiltonian perturbation at the kappa-coupling interface. Krylov-Statistical Mapping establishes a correlation between b_n deviation and QBER statistical moments (r=0.948, kurtosis; r=0.943, |skewness|) across 50 gamma values. Crossover spectral regime (⟨r⟩=0.366) explicitly documented. Part II: Distinguishing Quantum Scrambling from Eavesdropping via Krylov Temporal Structure and Sidereal Filtering (v2, with Robustness Analysis): The theoretical foundation. A Gaussian autocorrelation template C(t) = exp(−0.5·(slope·t)²) is derived from Krylov-Lanczos b_n coefficients. Under realistic hardware noise (AR(1) + 1/f + afterpulsing + bursts): AUC=0.9899, separation=12.13 sigma. Three methodological killer tests included. All results are simulation-based (N=8 crossover regime; not yet validated on real QKD hardware). Part III: QKD Eve Detector: A Unified Framework (Synthesis): The three-layer detector combining all prior work: (1) Dual-Layer Sidereal Filter for environmental noise removal, (2) Krylov Dynamic Detector for template matching, (3) Multi-Vector Attack Classifier distinguishing six attack types. Self-contained implementation provided in the accompanying demo notebook.Accompanying notebooks reproduce all figures and results. Dependencies: NumPy, SciPy, QuTiP. No special hardware required.
Abstract I present a physical-layer monitoring framework for quantum key distribution (QKD) implementations based on Krylov/operator-growth diagnostics. Running alongside standard parameter estimation, privacy amplification, and composable security proofs, it addresses a focused question: whether the temporal correlation structure of an observed quantum bit error rate (QBER) stream carries additional information about physical channel perturbations. Within a specified local-Hamiltonian channel model, the Lanczos coefficients of the channel Liouvillian define an operator-growth autocorrelation template, and deviations from it serve as anomaly scores for implementation monitoring. For the model studied here, the QBER autocorrelation relates to the operator autocorrelation through a proportionality relation, CQBER(τ)=α(N)Cop(τ) C QBER ( τ ) = α ( N ) C op ( τ ) , with α(N) α ( N ) an explicitly specified calibration factor. Local Hamiltonian perturbations generically distort the associated Krylov fingerprint once the perturbation reaches the support of the monitored observable, consistent with the locality of the Lanczos recursion and with Lieb–Robinson bounds. The resulting three-layer pipeline combines adaptive frequency filtering, Krylov-template extraction, and calibrated slope detection. On simulated BB84-like QBER data with realistic hardware noise, the detector achieves high anomaly discrimination under the tested perturbation classes ( AUC=0.9899 AUC = 0.9899 ). On 181,606 181 , 606 public QBER measurements from a deployed fiber-optic QKD system, it yields a 4.5% clean-test alarm rate against a 5% design target and detects injected perturbations with 96.0% sensitivity at ΔQBER=+0.5% Δ QBER = + 0.5 % ( AUC=0.981 AUC = 0.981 ). Certification of final key secrecy remains governed by the underlying QKD protocol, parameter estimation, finite-key analysis, and privacy amplification.
This paper closes three theoretical gaps that remained open in the Krylov-based quantum channel authentication framework developed across Papers 1-8 of this series. Physical Bridge (Theorem 1): I derive a formal proof that the QBER autocorrelation is proportional to the operator autocorrelation, C_QBER(τ) = α(N) · C_op(τ), establishing the connection between Krylov theory and observable measurement statistics (numerically confirmed with Pearson r = 0.9997). Physical One-Way Function (Theorem 2): I prove that the Krylov fingerprint map constitutes a physical one-way function with three independent hardness sources: (I) unconditional information-theoretic exponential ill-conditioning of the inverse moment problem (κ_n ~ 32^n), (II) complexity-theoretic reduction to Hamiltonian learning, and (III) physical irreversibility of scrambling dynamics (t_rec ~ 10^765). Hardness source I is unconditional and provides post-quantum security. Universality (Theorem 3): I establish the universality of the detection framework through systematic numerical verification across 8 Hamiltonian families and 10 perturbation types, achieving 8/8 families and 10/10 perturbation types at the physically relevant distance d = 1. All three results are detector-agnostic: they characterize the Krylov framework itself, independent of the specific detection algorithm applied to the Lanczos coefficients. Paper 9 in the Krylov QKD series. See also: qkd-krylov-detector on GitHub.
Paper [8] in the QKD Krylov Detector research series. We validate the Calibrated Slope Detector on 181,606 experimental QBER measurements from a real fiber-optic QKD system. The detector achieves a false-positive rate of 4.5% and detects simulated intercept-resend attacks from ΔQBER ≥ 0.5% with 96.0% sensitivity (AUC = 0.981) — an order of magnitude more sensitive than conventional QBER threshold monitoring. Supplementary validation on the NIST Loophole-Free Bell Test dataset (152.6 million trials) confirms specificity on clean quantum data. This completes the validation triangle: theoretical unforgeability (Paper [7]), simulation-based sensitivity (Papers [5]–[6]), and real-data validation (this work). Software: https://github.com/quantumspiritresearch-crypto/qkd-krylov-detector (v1.3.0)
We establish a formal and numerical connection between the Krylov-based eavesdropper detector for quantum key distribution (QKD) and the Loschmidt echo. We introduce the operator-space Loschmidt echo M_op(t) and show analytically that the Krylov detection score is equivalent to the time-averaged operator echo. Numerical simulations on an 8-qubit Heisenberg chain with N=20 coupling strengths confirm this equivalence: gamma^2 vs. Lanczos distortion (r=0.958, p<1e-10), echo decay vs. Lanczos distortion (r=0.838, p<1e-5), and Krylov score vs. echo decay (r=0.850, p<1e-5). The operator-space echo decays faster than the state-space echo, explaining why the Krylov detector is more sensitive than state-based fidelity measures. These results connect the Krylov QKD framework to experimental Loschmidt echo platforms (NMR, ultracold atoms, superconducting qubits). Includes reproducible Python code and all numerical data.
This thesis is concerned with rigorous security analyses of practical Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols, using a variety of modern proof techniques. The main results are as follows. First, we establish a security proof for variable-length QKD protocols against IID collective attacks, and extend this result to coherent attacks using the postselection technique. In doing so, we resolve a long-standing flaw in the application of the postselection technique to QKD, thereby placing it on a rigorous mathematical footing. Second, we develop a method to bound phase error rates in entropic uncertainty relation-based and phase error rate-based proofs, using only the observed statistics of the protocol, even when detectors are imperfect and only approximately characterized. This removes a key assumption of identical detector behaviour and enables these techniques to be applied in realistic settings. Third, we present a very general security analysis based on the marginal-constrained entropy accumulation theorem. The resulting framework can be readily adapted to practical imperfections and side channels, and is suitable for certification efforts. Finally, we show that the security of QKD protocols under realistic authentication assumptions can be reduced to the standard idealized setting, where authentication is assumed to behave honestly, with only minor protocol modifications. A distinctive feature of this thesis is its unified presentation of several major QKD security proof frameworks using consistent protocol descriptions and notation. Consequently, this thesis is intended not only as a collection of new technical results, but also as a useful reference for understanding rigorous security analysis in quantum key distribution.